Videos of all sessions are available on YouTube. Click the photo above to go to the playlist. 

Muslim Institute 2025 Winter Gathering took place at Sarum College, Salisbury between 28th-30th November.  The theme of this Winter Gathering was: ‘By Any Means Necessary’: Muslims, Politics and Power in the 21st Century’.

One hundred fellows and guests gathered to listen to an array of speakers: Professor of Islamic History Fozia Bora, Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Leeds Green Party Co-Ordinator Shahab Adris, Professor of Black Studies Kehinde Andrews, filmmaker & podcaster Dr Myriam François, Director of Centre for Media Monitoring Rizwana Hamid, researchers Musab Bora and Humera Khan, analyst Dr Mohammed Sinan Siyech, CEO National Zakat Foundation Dr Sohail Hanif and author Tharik Hussain.

The opening address was delivered by deputy chair of trustees Asim Siddiqui:

‘Assalamu alaikum. welcome to the Muslim Institute’s 2025 Winter Gathering.

Our very first Winter Gathering was held in this very room back in 2009 — sixteen years ago. And every time since, we’ve returned to Sarum College. Some of you have asked us whether we own the building! We don’t; except on these weekends when it becomes our home. For many of our long-standing Fellows, the Winter Gathering has become a highlight in the Calendar — a time to reconnect, reflect, and recharge. It is also a pleasure to welcome so many new Fellows who have joined us.

This year’s theme, marking sixty years since the martyrdom of Malcolm X, is:
“By Any Means Necessary: Muslims, Politics and Power in the 21st Century.” Over the next few days, we’ll be asking some big questions – questions about how we build strength, protect our freedoms and shape the future we want.

We often describe the Muslim Institute as a space for critical thought and open debate, inspired by the tradition of fellowship or futuwwah. Now, futuwwah is sometimes translated as “knowledgeable clubs” — but they were so much more than that. In the classical age of Muslim civilisation, these were communities that combined knowledge, ethics, and service. They were self-organising spaces where artisans, scholars, and seekers of truth gathered — not to echo the power of rulers, but to hold power to account; not to follow, but to lead through conscience and conviction.

We will shortly hear from our keynote speaker more about this history. The futuwwah built communities around learning, humility, and service — people coming together to exchange ideas, support one another, serve their neighbours, and speak up when the Caliph of the day or the State strayed from justice.

That’s the spirit we wish to carry forward here. The Muslim Institute is an independent platform — a space where we, as a community, can think, debate, and decide our own priorities. We don’t take our cues from politicians or from funders. We shape our own agenda — because a confident, self-reliant community must also be a community that thinks for itself.

But independence doesn’t mean isolation. The futuwwah were never inward-looking. They stood for what was right — not only for themselves, but for everyone around them. So yes, we want to nurture strength and self-reliance among British Muslims — but we also want to champion what’s best for all communities in the UK. If our values are truly rooted in Islam, then they must be of benefit to all, Muslim and non-Muslim. We must also do more than simply diagnose our problems; we must also implement and support practical solutions that benefit all in our local communities.

Those who attended our anniversary event here in 2023 know that the Muslim Institute has a rich tradition of activism that goes back 50 years. This is the organisation that created the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, the Bait al Mal al Islami, the Muslim Women’s Institute, the Halal Food Authority. Now some of those organisations don’t exist today. But that’s okay. Much of this work is being done by other organisations and other people. And that’s a good thing. The baton moves on. Some of these organisations are with us this weekend.

Two years ago we launched the Community Empowerment Fund to re-engage our thought back into activism. We have since invested over £20,000 in projects championed by our fellows and friends that help our young men and women stand on their own two feet with confidence.

Our empowerment fund is now investing in research into our communities to determine what their needs and priorities are. We will hear from this shortly and we will help fund the recommendations that come out of this research. We want to partner with others. I am very pleased that representatives from the Halal Food Authority are with us this weekend. We will continue to work together to allocate resources that are at the service of our communities.

So I hope you’ll see this weekend not just as a gathering, but as a conversation — a space where we think together, challenge together and begin to build together. Thank you again for joining us and we look forward to your engagement over the next few days and beyond’.

Asim Siddiqui opens the Winter Gathering 2025.